Baling press



April 27, 1954 3 Q 2,676,532

BALQING PRESS Filed Nov. 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR G. B. HILLBALING PRESS April 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1951 qll Wvii/9,4113%??? FIG. 4

INVENTOR G B HILL Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT ENE BALINGPRESS George B. Hill, Celina, Ohio, assignor to Deere Manufacturing 00.,Dubuque, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa 1 Claim.v l

The present invention relates generally to baling presses and moreparticularly to mechanismfor applying pressure to the opposing walls ofthe bale case to provide a resistance to the move ment of the bales ofcrops therethrough, and thus to determine the density to which the balesare packed during the baling operation.

This application is a division of co-pending application Serial No.702,908, filed October 12, 1946, now Patent No. 2,608,153, dated August25, 1952.

The principal object of the present invention relates to the provisio ofnovel and improved means for applying pressure to the opposing walls ofthe bale case, which is more satisfactory in operation under varyingcrop conditions and which provides bales of greater uniformity, butWithout a proportionate increase in complexity and cost.

In tractor drawn baling presses of the type in which the bale case isdisposed transversely of the direction of travel of the implement, asdisclosed in United States Patent No. 2,484,890, the length of the balecase is necessarily appreciably shorter than the more conventional typeof bale case which is disposed longitudinally of the direction oftravel. Inasmuch as the frictional resistance to movement of the balesthrough the case is inherently less in the shorter cases, it isnecessary to provide mechanical means for increasing frictionalresistance in order to produce bales of satisfactory density, since thepressure at which the crop is packed into the bales is dependent uponthe frictional resistance of the bale case to movement of the balesthrough the baling chamber. This additional friction is provided by anadjustable bale case extension, comprising a pair of opposing wallswhich are pivotally mounted on the bale case at the discharge endthereof by means which provides for movement of the opposing wallstoward and away from each other, and means for urging the walls towardeach other to compress the bales.

Still another object relates to the provision of force exertingmechanism for urging the opposing walls of the bale case extensiontoward each other with a force which is substantially constantregardless of variations in the distance between the opposing walls.This is desirable to accommodate unevenness in the sides of the bales ofhay or other crops in order to provide a substantially constantfrictional resistance to movement thereof. It is also desirable that theopposing walls do not move apart to positions in which they inflexiblyresist any further movement, for when the walls reach such inflexiblepositions, the bale e of the hay bales.

2 case can become jammed until the baling pressure exceeds a reasonablelimit.

In order to equalize the pressure along the opposing walls by providingat least two spaced pressure transmitting connections through whichforce is exerted to urge the opposing walls toward each other, it isalso conventional to provide means for adjusting the amount of pressureap plied by the force transmitting means to the sides It is a furtherobject of the invention to provide a single control device for adjustingthe pressure transmitting devices simultaneously and to equal extent, inorder that the amount of pressure exerted along the sides of the bale ismaintained substantially uniformly.

A still further object relates to the provision of control mechanism forsimultaneously controlling the pressure exerting devices of a balingpress of the tractor operated, automatic, onema-n-controlled type, thecontrol mechanism extending to a position on the baling press withinreach of the operator from his station on the tractor. It is well knownto those skilled in the art that the frictional resistance the hay balesin the baling chamber varies widely with the crop conditions andespecially with the amount of moisture in the baled crops. For example,when the baling work is begun in the morning, the hay is frequently dampenough to have a substantial moisture content, and therefore in order toprevent packing the hay too tightly the bales it is necessary to loosenthe pressure exerting devices at the discharge end of the bale case.Later, as the hay dries out, the frictional resistance of the hay balesagainst the bale case decreases, and if no adjustment were made thebales would be packed too loosely. Thus, by providing control meansconvenient to the operator of the tractor, the pressure upon the balescan be gradually adjusted from time to time, without the necessity forthe operator to stop the tractor and walk back to make adjustment of thepressure exerting mechanism on the bale case, resulting in anappreciable increase in efiiciency of operation. Furthermore, there willbe less vari ation in the weight or" the bales, for the ease ofadjusting the bale case pressure will encourage the operator to makefrequent adjustments as moisture and other crop conditionschange duringthe day.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of thefollowing description, in which reference is had to the drawingsappended hereto, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of atractor operated baler, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the bale case and hydraulicpressure exerting mechanism;

Figure 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, and drawn to anenlarged scale, showing certain details of the hydraulic mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through one of the hydraulic pressureexerting mechanisms, as viewed along a line 4-4 in Figure 2.

The baling press is indicated in its entirety by reference numeral I andis of the general type disclosed in the above mentioned Hill patent. Thepress I0 comprises a transverse bale case II carried on wheels 9 and isprovided with a forwardly and laterally inclined draft member I2, whichextends to a draft connection on the rear end of a tractor I3. Thetractor I3 comprises a body I4 carried on axle housings I5 and reartraction wheels I6. The rear end portion of the body I4 has an operatorsstation I1.

The baling press I0 has a forwardly extending harvester platform 20mounted on the front of the bale case H and spaced laterally from theplane of the adjacent tractor wheel I6, and may have conventionalmechanism (not shown) for picking up a crop windrow and delivering itrearwardly into a feeder mechanism ZI which feeds the crops into thebaling chamber, in which a plunger (not shown) is reciprocated by anysuitable drive mechanism deriving power from a conventional flexiblepower shaft connection 25 to the power take-off shaft of the tractor.The draft member I2 is connected by a tongue 26 to a pivot connection 21on the rear of the tractor body I4.

The details of the tractor and baling press are not fully shown anddescribed herein since they form no essential part of the presentinvention. It will he understood that in this preferred embodiment, thebaling press is provided with any suitable automatic tying mechanism,such as that disclosed in the above mentioned Hill patent.

During the baling operation, the crops are packed in the bale case II bythe plunger in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, forcingthe crops laterally through the bale case, and after the bales are tiedthey are discharged laterally outwardly through a bale case extensionI05 at the left-hand end of the bale case, from which the completedbales drop to the ground.

The bale case extension I05 comprises a pair of laterally spaced opposedwalls I06, I01, each of which is provided with inwardly turned upper andlower flange portions I08, I09, respectively. The walls I06, I01 lie invertical planes and serve as extensions of the side walls of the balecase II, respectively, while the flange portions I08, I09 liesubstantially in the planes of the top and bottom walls of the balecase, respectively. Each of the wall members I06, I01 is provided with apair of upper and lower mounting brackets H0, which are fixed to theflange portions I08, I05 and are pivotally connected by pivot bolts II Ito the top and bottom walls of the bale case II, providing for generallyhorizontal swinging movement about the vertical axes of the upper andlower aligned pivot bolts III, thus providing for horizontal swingingmovement of the walls I06, I01 toward and away from each other. A pairof top and bottom wall elements H2. H3 extend longitudinallyof the balecase substantially in the planes of the top and bottom walls of thelatter, respectively, and are pivotally mounted by means of bolts II4 onthe bale case II, providing for vertical swinging movement abouthorizontal axes. The bolts I I4 extend through vertical flange portionsII5 on the walls H2, H3 and into end portions IIB of the bale case. Abale case extension of this type is disclosed and claimed in UnitedStates Patent No. 2,458,994.

A pair of tension rods I20, I2I lie transversely above and below thebale case extension I05 and have eye portions I22 pivotally mounted onone of the wall members I06 by means of pivot pins I23, I24,respectively. These pins extend through a pair of spaced bracket flangesI25 fixed, as by welding, to the outer side of the wall I06 andhorizontal flanges I08, I09. The rods are connected to a verticalchannel shaped yoke member I30 spaced outwardly from the opposite sidewall I01, the rods being threaded to receive nuts I3I.

Upper and lower hydraulic rains I32, I33 are disposed between the yokemember I30 and the wall member I01 and are extensible to urge the twoside walls I05, I01 toward each other. Each of the ram units comprises acylinder I3 3 having a head I35 mounted on the vertical yoke I30. Apiston E38 is slidable within the cylinder I34 and is provided with aflexible annular sealing member 31 secured in place by a bolt I38. Thepiston is connected to a piston rod I39 which extends outwardly throughthe open end of the cylinder I34 and which is connected by a pivot pin10 to a pair of vertically spaced lugs MI welded to a vertical channelmember H12 that is rigidly attached to the side wall I01.

A fluid supply duct I 25 extends between the two cylinders ISt and isconnected in communication with each of the latter between the piston 36and cylinder head i35 to supply fluid under pressure to the pressurechambers of the rams 532, I33, and the duct 45 extends to a source offluid pressure in the form of a pump i423 mounted on the draft member I2adjacent the forward end thereof. Thus, the rams I32, I33 are connectedto a common pressure conduit I 15 which insures that the pressure isapplied equally through both rams to the upper and lower portions of theopposing side walls I68, IE1. When pressure is applied to the cylindersI34, the pistons are forced outwardly thereof, thereby to urge theadjacent side wall I01 inwardly, while the reaction is transmittedthrough the yoke I35 and the tension rods I20, iii to pull the oppositeside wall I06 inwardly toward the wall 31.

The pmnp unit I46 comprises a pump cylinder I4! having a cap I 33 itslower end serving as a cylinder head and having a discharge outlet I49in the lower end thereof connected by a suitable T-fltting ififi to thefluid supply duct I45. 7

The cylinder I4? is mounted on a reservoir I5I, which is connected incommunication with a groove :52 extending annularly around the innersurface of the cap 140. A valve element I53 is mounted within the cap 2%and comprises a block having a passage 56; communicating with the grooveE52 and with the inside of the cylinder I41.

The block I53 has another passage I55 communieating between the cylinderHi1 and the discharge outlet ME. A pair of ball check valves 558, I51are disposed within the passages i5 3, I55, respectively. The checkvalve I56 is adapted to open to permit a flow of fluid from thereservoir through the groove I52 and passage I54 into the cylinder I41and to prevent reverse flow oi fluid therethrough. The other ball checkvalve I51 is adapted to permit a flow of fluid from the cylinder I41through the passage I55 and out through the discharge opening I49 and toprevent reverse flow.

Within the cylinder I41 is a pump piston I60, which extends upwardlythrough the open end of the cylinder I41 and is pivotally connected by apin I6I to a connecting rod I52, which is journaled on a crank I63 on adisk I64, mounted on a drive shaft I55. The shaft I65 is journaled in asleeve hearing I 66 secured to the top of the reservoir I5 I. A drivesheave IE1 is fixed to the shaft I65 on the opposite end of the latterand is connected through a flexible V-belt I66 to a sheave I69 fixed tothe power shaft 24. Rotation of the power shaft 24 drives the pumppiston I60 via the reciprocating connecting rod I62, whereby movement ofthe piston I60 upwardly in the cylinder I41 draws fluid through thepassage I54 from the reservoir I5I, past the check valve I56 into thecylinder. At this time the other check valve I51 is closed, but when thepiston I60 travels downwardly on a pressure stroke, the check valve I56closes and the fluid is forced downwardly through the passage I55 pastthe check valve I51 and out through the discharge opening I 49 to theduct I45.

A control valve, indicated generally by reference numeral I10, comprisesa casing I1I having an inlet opening I12 at its lower end connected by aconduit I13 with the T-shaped fitting I50 and hence with the supply ductI55. A ball valve I14 seats in the intake opening I12, being held inseated position by means of a helical compression spring I15 which isdisposed within the casing Ill and which bears against the lower end ofa threaded control rod I16. This rod extends upwardly through a cap I11mounted on the upper end of the casing Ill. The upper end of the controlrod I16 has a handle I by means of which the rod I16 can be rotated.Since the lower end of the rod I16 is threaded within the casing HI andbears against the upper end of the compression spring 115, rotation ofthe rod in one direction increases the compressive force in the spring Iacting against the ball valve I14, and rotation of the rod in theopposite direction reduces the amount of force urging the ball I14 intoits seat. The casing I'II is provided with an exhaust opening I19 in theside thereof, which is connected by a return duct I80 to the upper endof the reservoir I 5|.

During operation, the pump I46 runs constantly, forcing oil underpressure into the supply duct I45, thereby applying pressure to the ramsI32, I33. The oil forces the ball valve I14 open against the pressure ofthe spring I15 and returns through the duct I80 to the reservoir. Whenthe stress in the compression spring I15 is increased, the pressurerequired to open the valve I14 increases, whereupon the pressure in theduct I45 and ram cylinders I34 is correspondingly increased. This causesa greater pressure to be maintained for urging the two side walls I06,I01 toward each other, thereby providing a greater resistance tomovement of bales through the bale extension I05. On the other hand,should the crops be moist and heavy, resulting in excessive pressurewithin the bale case I I, the resistance to movement of bales throughthe bale case extension I05 can be decreased by rotating the control rodI16 by means of the handle I18 to reduce the stress in the compressionspring I15, thereby reducing the pressure in the pump cylinder I41 andsupply duct I45, and therefore in the ram cylinders I 34.

The control rod or shaft I 16 can be made long enough to extend withinreach of the tractor operator so that he may adjust the pressure in therams I32, I33 without leaving his station on the tractor. It will beunderstood that inasmuch as the two ram cylinders I34 are connectedtogether in multiple, a single adjustment of the valve spring I15affects a simultaneously adjustment of the pressure in the two ramcylinders I 34.

What is claimed is:

In a baling press having a bale case including a pair of oppositelydisposed walls adapted to move toward and away from each other and ahydraulic ram for applying force to said walls for urging said wallstoward each other, the improvement comprising means for supplyinghydraulic fiuid under pressure to the ram including a fluid reservoir, acontinuously operating pump connected with the reservoir and havingsupply duct means connected to the ram, control means for controllingthe pressure of fluid supplied to the ram, said control means comprisinga valve chamber communicating with the reservoir, a valve seatable onthe port, said chamber having a threaded opening spaced from the valve,a threaded rod carried in the threaded opening and extending bothinteriorly and exteriorl of the chamber, a spring acting in compressionagainst the interior end of the rod and reacting against the valve tobias the valve toward seating on the port, and the exterior of the rodhaving manually engageable means thereon for turning the rod to vary thecompressive force applied by said spring to the valve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,159,948 Johnson et a1 Nov. 9, 1915 1,993,195 Temple Mar. 5,1935 2,196,645 Saiberlich Apr. 9, 1940 2,396,720 Nolt Mar. 19, 194.6

